Music Choir Groups

Music

Music is an integral part of worship services, congregational events and fundraisers at Live Oak. Music Director John Douglas plays piano at services Sunday mornings, and long–time member Carter Morgan regularly plays drums, and sometimes plays guitar and sings. Members of the congregation of all ages regularly volunteer to sing solos and sometime group numbers at services. Special guest artists include local professional singers and instrumentalists on instruments as diverse as trumpet, Native American flutes, Celtic harp and African drums. The congregation especially appreciates it when young adults who have grown up in the congregation, and who have gone on to professional careers in music and theatre, return to Live Oak to perform when they are in town. In consultation with Rev. Tamara and worship associates, John selects vocal and instrumental music from a wide variety of genres, including classical, jazz, gospel, R&B, rock & roll, pop, Broadway, world and folk, that in some way reflects the sermon or overall service theme on any given Sunday.

Choir

The Live Oak Choir usually performs in two Sunday services per month, as well as in special services. We rehearse Thursday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 in the sanctuary. Our repertoire includes a wide spectrum of musical styles as mentioned above, including compositions and arrangements by UU composers and music directors, commercially-available arrangements and original arrangements penned by John. In addition to teaching choir repertoire in rehearsals, for most arrangements, John records parts tracks to assist singers in learning and solidifying their parts on their own. These resources boost singing confidence for all choir members, particularly for choir members who have to miss rehearsals due to other commitments. Choir takes a hiatus during the summer. If you enjoy singing and would like to join us, we welcome you.

For more information about music in services and choir, please contact music director John Douglas (805) 284-2082 jed805@gmail.com.